Neill Blomkamp and Sigourney Weaver confirm new film will be sequel to Aliens

Looks like Ripley could be back for one last showdown

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Last week, sci-fi horror fans rejoiced when Neill Blomkamp revealed that his Alien passion project had received the green light. While much of the District 9 director’s concept art for the film included Sigourney Weaver’s iconic Ripley character, there was no word on whether she’d be involved. Now, however, Weaver has all but confirmed her return to the franchise while talking with Sky Movies. In the video interview, she and Blomkamp discussed the new film’s direction.

“I would love to take Ripley out of sort of orbiting around in space and give a proper finish to what was such an excellent story,” Weaver said, adding that Blomkamp presented her with his ideas while the two were filming the upcoming Chappie.

“I want this film to feel like it is literally the genetic sibling of Aliens,” Blomkamp said. “So it’s Alien, Aliens, this movie.” What’s interesting here is that Blomkamp seems to be hinting at a reworking of the series’ canon, ignoring 1992’s Alien 3 and 1997’s Alien Resurrection.

This sort of move isn’t entirely unheard of in large franchises. It’s essentially what Bryan Singer did in Superman Returns, acting as if Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace never existed. (And who can blame him?) The difference here would be that the star wouldn’t be changing, and Weaver has aged almost 30 years since 1986’s Aliens.

Whatever happens, the pair seem deeply passionate about the project. “I think it’s a great series,” Weaver continued. “It deserves a proper ending. I know the fans would love that, so I hope it works out.”

Update 7:10 PM: In an interview with French site AlloCine, Blomkamp suggested that his plans do not involve “undoing” or rewriting the latter half of the franchise.

“My favorites are the first two movies. I want to make a film that’s connected to Alien and Aliens,” he said. “That’s my goal. I’m not trying to undo Alien 3 or Alien Resurrection; I just want it to be connected to Alien one and two.”